Traditionally, wheel rims have been constructed utilizing very old stamping processes from metal, typically steel or aluminum, and while such rims are in common use, they possess several undesirable characteristics. Steel metal wheel rims corrode, and aluminum wheel rims are prone to dent and deform, and both types of rims generally offer only silver color as a finish option. Further, such stamping processes on aluminum require rolling, bending, stamping, and piercing metal that often creates micro-fractures and weakened areas of the metal that, in turn, must be heavily reinforced to create sufficient strength to endure over a predictable rim life-span. For a steel rim, while the stamping processes create little damage to the metal, such stamping processes are very capital intensive, requiring heavy forming equipment with significant maintenance requirements. In practice, the industry recognized that a steel rim, with its excessive weight, unattractive appearance and tendency to corrosion, is not a popular item with consumers. For example, in North America and Western Europe, manufactures of steel rims are forced to operate at very low profit margins.
Presently, wheel rims constructed from a glass, carbon and graphite fibers that are attractive to consumers have generally been prohibitively expense for an average bicycle enthusiast. An example of a high quality composite rim whose construction is labor intensive and thus must be sold at a high price is shown in a U.S. Patent Application entitled “A Two Component Composite Bicycle Rim”, Ser. No. 09/548,068, filed Apr. 12, 2000, by one of the present inventors.
Throughout the drawings, identical reference numbers designate similar, but not necessarily identical, elements.